Article of clothing with child interactive devices

ABSTRACT

An article of clothing such as a shirt is provided which contains different child interactive devices attached to the clothing. The devices are not visible unless a child opens a portion of the shirt, such as opening a pocket flap. The devices are particularly accessible to a child who is being carried by the adult and promote bonding between the child and adult while the two are together. Additionally, the devices assist in entertaining the child.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Non-Provisional Utility Patent application is related to the Provisional Application of the same title with references as follows:

1. Application Ser. No.: 61/656,097

2. Filing Date: Jun. 6, 2012

THE FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to clothing. More specifically, the present invention relates to an article of clothing which has child interactive devices attached to the article of clothing.

BACKGROUND

In many cases, adults can experience difficulty in establishing a bond with a child. This may occur for many reasons. Sometimes, a child may have a temperament which makes bonding more difficult. In other cases, the adult may have limited time with the child due to work, the child's schedule, etc. Often, an adult is relatively inexperienced with children and needs some assistance in developing a relationship with the child. Additionally, it can be difficult for an adult to entertain a child. This may occur while shopping or traveling, for example.

In these situations, it is desirable to assist the adult in developing a relationship with the child or entertaining the child. There is a need for a device which will assist in developing a relationship with the child or entertaining the child and which is also easy to use by the adult. In particular, there is a need for a device which will assist an adult in developing a relationship with a child which is not cumbersome to carry and which does not overly detract from the appearance of the adult, allowing the adult and child to use the device while away from the home.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved article of clothing for helping an adult to bond with and entertain a child.

According to one aspect of the invention, a shirt is provided which has a variety of interactive devices attached to the shirt. The devices are accessible to a child who is with the adult, and in particular, a child who is held by the adult. According to another aspect of the invention, the interactive devices are permanently attached to the article of clothing. According to another aspect of the invention, the interactive devices are hidden from view and may be accessed by the child as desired.

These and other aspects of the present invention are realized in an article of clothing as shown and described in the following figures and related description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the present invention are shown and described in reference to the numbered drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a shirt according to the present invention; and

FIG. 2 shows another perspective view of the shirt of FIG. 1.

It will be appreciated that the drawings are illustrative and not limiting of the scope of the invention which is defined by the appended claims. The embodiments shown accomplish various aspects and objects of the invention. It is appreciated that it is not possible to clearly show each element and aspect of the invention in a single figure, and as such, multiple figures are presented to separately illustrate the various details of the invention in greater clarity. Similarly, not every embodiment need accomplish all advantages of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention and accompanying drawings will now be discussed in reference to the numerals provided therein so as to enable one skilled in the art to practice the present invention. The drawings and descriptions are exemplary of various aspects of the invention and are not intended to narrow the scope of the appended claims.

Turning now to FIG. 1, a perspective view of a shirt according to the present invention is shown. While the principles of the present invention may be applied to other types of clothing, the invention is particularly advantageous as regards shirts or similar articles of clothing such as vests, etc. The shirt 10 appears to be a normal shirt, and does not show any outward indications of having interactive devices attached to the shirt. For many people, it is often important that the shirt 10 does not appear different than other shirts. A person will often not wear the shirt 10 if it appears different than common shirts. As such, the various child interactive devices are not ordinarily visible.

FIG. 2 shows another perspective view of the shirt 10. Different parts of the shirt 10 have been opened or turned around to expose various interactive devices. A shirt pocket 14 has been opened to expose a noise making plastic insert 18. The noise making insert 18 is typically made out of a thin sheet of crinkled cellophane plastic such as is used in infant toys, as well as other materials which make noise when bent or manipulated. The noise making insert 18 will make crackling noises when an infant squishes or bends the pocket 14. Thus, when an infant is carried by an adult wearing the shirt, the infant may play with or move the pocket 14 to make noises regardless of whether or not the pocket 14 is open. The noise making insert 18 is sewn into the pocket 14 and is not removable. The noise making insert 18 may be sewn into the pocket between two layers of fabric such that it is not visible, but makes noise when the pocket is bent or moved. For example, the noise making insert 18 may be sandwiched between two layers of fabric and sewn into the front part of the pocket.

Another pocket 22 has been opened, exposing a rubber spike ball 26 or other similar interactive device. The spike ball 26 is attached to the shirt, typically near the seam of the pocket flap. A child may access the spike ball 26 by opening the pocket 22.

Another interactive device 30 is attached to the shirt 10 inside of a sleeve 34. The interactive device 30 is often a flexible rubber device which is interesting to a child. Various devices such as soft rubber spike balls and devices which a child may squeeze or bend are suitable. The device 30 may be accessed by a child by opening the shirt sleeve slightly. A child may access this device while being carried by an adult or when standing next to the adult (for an older child).

A larger button 38, such as a chewable or flexible rubber button, is attached to the inside of the shirt 10 adjacent the collar 42. The button 38 may be accessed by a child who is carried by the adult.

A small bell 46 or other noise making device has been sewn into the shirt tail 50. A child standing next to the adult may use the bell 46.

The various interactive devices 18, 26, 30, 38, 46 are positioned so that they are easily accessed by a child who is standing next to the adult or, more importantly, by a child that is being carried by the adult. The interactive devices are preferably permanently attached to the shirt 10. This ensures that the devices may be used by a child in close proximity to the adult who is wearing the shirt 10. This helps promote bonding between the child and adult and helps to entertain the child. The interactive devices are hidden from view and are not visible unless a child opens a part of the shirt 10, such as pocket 22. This allows the shirt 10 to look like a regular shirt, increasing the likelihood that an adult is not embarrassed by the shirt and will wear the shirt.

There is thus disclosed an improved article of clothing with child interactive devices. The article of clothing is useful in helping an adult bond with a child or entertain the child. It will be appreciated that numerous changes may be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of the claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An article of clothing for establishing a bond between an adult and a child comprising: an article of clothing; and a child interactive device permanently attached to the article of clothing, the child interactive device being hidden from view.
 2. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the child interactive device is attached inside of a pocket and is made accessible by opening the pocket.
 3. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the article of clothing is a shirt.
 4. The article of clothing of claim 3, wherein the child interactive device is a plastic sheet sewn into a shirt pocket, the plastic sheet making noise when moved.
 5. The article of clothing of claim 3, wherein the child interactive device is accessible to a child who is carried by an adult who is wearing the shirt. 